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Signal of change / The United Nations adopts a global compact for migration

The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a global framework to “...step up and shoulder our responsibilities toward refugees,” explained UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed. Winning an almost unanimous vote, the compact includes 23 objectives for managing migration better at local, national, regional, and global levels. The US and Hungary were the only nations to vote against the commitment; Libya, Eritrea, and the Dominican Republic abstained from the vote.

So what?

With global transborder migration steadily increasing, and millions of climate and conflict refugees needing legal and long-term homes, this UN framework could mean better coordinated and effectual responses from the international community. While the commitment is not binding, it does mark significant geopolitical consensus to address the issue collectively. What effect might this compact have on the migrant crisis in the short and long term? How will nations with differing social, economic, and environmental profiles handle this issue fairly? Could international cooperation like this eventually lead to a post-Westphalian arrangement?